India delivered a scathing denunciation of Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, rebuking its presence in a debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict as a “gross affront” to international conscience. India rebutted Pakistan’s “disinformation” campaign at the United Nations concerning the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), accusing Islamabad of repeatedly breaching the treaty’s spirit by waging wars and sponsoring cross-border terrorism, which has claimed over 20,000 Indian lives.
Addressing a United Nations Security Council Arria Formula meeting titled ‘Protecting Water in Armed Conflict – Protecting Civilian Lives’, organised by the Permanent Mission of Slovenia, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, delivered a scathing critique of Pakistan’s conduct.
“We are constrained to respond to the disinformation being carried out by the delegation of Pakistan with regard to the Indus Waters Treaty. India has always acted in a responsible manner as an upper riparian state,” Harish said.
He added that the treaty, signed in 1960, had been entered into in good faith by India. However, over the decades, Pakistan had gravely undermined its foundational premise.
“Pakistan has violated the spirit of the treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India,” Harish said, citing the horrific 22 April attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed in a targeted assault on tourists.
“In the last four decades, more than 20,000 Indian lives have been lost in terror attacks, the most recent of which was the dastardly targeted terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam,” he said.
“India has experienced decades of Pakistani-sponsored terrorist attacks,” Puri told the Council. “From the horrific 26/11 attack on Mumbai to the barbaric mass murder of tourists in Pahalgam in April 2025, Pakistan’s terrorism has targeted our prosperity, our morale — and most of all, our civilians.”
Harish emphasised that these actions by Pakistan are not isolated, but rather part of a sustained pattern of state-sponsored terrorism that seeks to destabilise India.
“Pakistan’s state-sponsored cross-border terrorism in India seeks to hold hostage the lives of civilians, religious harmony and economic prosperity,” he said.
Ambassador Puri alleged that the Pakistani military had recently targeted border villages inside Indian territory, resulting in the deaths of over 20 civilians and injuries to more than 80 others. Religious sites, including temples, gurdwaras and convents, were also struck, he said, accusing Pakistan of “intentional targeting” of places of worship and medical facilities.
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Responding to remarks by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, who raised the Kashmir issue and recent cross-border skirmishes, Harish said, “This has ranged from the horrific 26/11 attack on the city of Mumbai to the barbaric mass murder of innocent tourists in Pahalgam in April 2025. The victims of Pakistani terrorism have been predominantly civilians since its objective has been to attack our prosperity, progress and morale. For such a nation to even participate in a discussion on the protection of civilians is an affront to the international community.”
“To preach at this body after such behaviour is grossly hypocritical,” the envoy remarked, referring to Islamabad’s participation in the UNSC session. “A nation that makes no distinction between terrorists and civilians has no credentials to speak about protecting civilians.”
India's statement was delivered during the UNSC Open Debate on “Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict”, which focused on the threats faced by non-combatants, humanitarian workers, journalists and UN personnel amid ongoing global conflicts.
Puri said that Pakistan had not only sponsored terrorism but had glorified it. Citing the Indian military’s recent Operation Sindoor — which targeted key terrorists — Puri pointed to the conduct of senior Pakistani officials.
“We just recently saw senior government, police and military officials pay respects at the funeral of noted terrorists targeted by Operation Sindoor,” he told the Council. “Such conduct underscores that Pakistan repeatedly uses civilian cover to advance the cause of terrorism.”
The ambassador also noted that India’s response was necessitated by Pakistan’s provocative and misleading comments made during the debate. While not naming the representative directly, Puri described Islamabad’s interventions as “wholly insincere and lacking moral weight.”
“For such a nation to even participate in a discussion on the protection of civilians is an affront to the international community,” he said.
India has consistently raised the issue of cross-border terrorism at multilateral fora, particularly at the UN, citing not only security concerns but also the moral and humanitarian implications of Pakistan’s alleged support to terror networks.
The April attack in Pahalgam, mentioned by Puri, saw the deaths of several domestic and international tourists in a brutal assault reportedly carried out by Pakistan-based militants. Indian authorities have blamed the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba for the assault, which came amid the early tourist season in Jammu and Kashmir.
India responded with Operation Sindoor, a series of precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on 7 May. Pakistan subsequently attempted retaliatory strikes on Indian military targets between 8 and 10 May.
The hostilities ceased following a mutual agreement between the Directors General of Military Operations of both sides on 10 May.
Harish reaffirmed that Pakistan has consistently used civilians as cover for advancing terrorism and continues to undermine regional stability and peace.
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